Solar Eclipse Map: Where’s The Best Place In The US To See The 2017 Total Eclipse

Get your special glasses ready. The 2017 total solar eclipse takes place on Aug. 21, and if Americans who want to know the best place to go to see the moon blot out the sun, check out the solar eclipse map.

No, it’s not the end of the world (yet.) When the moon blocks out the sun on Aug. 21, it’ll just be the celestial dance that is the 2017 total solar eclipse. It’ll be the first time in history that a total solar eclipse crosses the country from coast to coast, according to TIME magazine, an eclipse that will be visible only in America. The eclipse begins on the West Coast near Salem, Oregon, traveling on a southeastern path until ending in Columbia, South Carolina. Though only a small fraction of the US will experience a total eclipse, everyone in the continental U.S. will see some kind of eclipse.

The last solar eclipse that was visible in the continental United States was in 1979, while Hawaii witnessed a total solar eclipse in 1991. Most everyone in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina will be exposed to a total eclipse, as the path of totality spans about 70 miles wide. Citizens in northern-most Main and the southern-most tip of Texas will get only about a 50% eclipse, according to Space.com. Even if a state doesn’t experience a total eclipse, it’s still worth checking out.

Just don’t look straight at the sun. Looking directly at the sun without proper eyewear would hard a person’s eyes “like a magnifying glass on a leaf,” one optometrist told The Washington Post. It only takes about “a minute and a half for your eyes to be permanently damaged.” It’s also cumulative damage, meaning that taking a quick peak, looking away, and peaking again is just as bad as starring. Also, using cameras without the right filers is also dangerous. Make sure to get a solar filter so you don’t damage your equipment – or your eyes.

While on Facebook Live tonight, someone asked for the map showing the percentage of the solar eclipse on Monday. pic.twitter.com/VleF16LkjO

There’s still plenty of time to order glasses from Amazon, and the company is taking steps to remove potentially fake glasses. Amazon has asked third-party sellers to provide documentation that proves their “products were compliant with relevant safety standards,” an Amazon spokesperson told ABC News. “The offers from sellers who provided this safety documentation remain available to customers.” Amazon confirmed that it has issued refunds to customers who bought glasses that didn’t match industry standards. If someone bought some shades from Amazon, they better double-check to make sure they’re legit. Or, better yet, save your vision by not staring at the eclipse directly.